Every
year on March 8, we celebrate International Women's Day to honor the social,
economic, cultural and political achievements of women. But we also acknowledge
that there is still a long way to go before we’ve truly reached gender parity.
This day gives us the opportunity to reflect on how we can achieve that
balance. So it’s particularly fitting that the theme of this year’s
International Women’s Day is “Balance for Better”
Tech, and security in particular, have
historically had a particularly skewed gender representation. But we can all
play a part in helping to encourage more balance in our industry. In this post
we’ll discuss a few things we can all do to ensure that everyone feels welcome.
Seek
out and amplify diverse voices
Security opinion can sometimes resemble an
echo chamber, with the same thoughts being expressed by the same people, over
and over again. We can interrupt this repetition by amplifying people who might
not normally get a lot of attention, but who have interesting and fresh things
to say. Seek out and listen to the voices of women and non-binary people in
tech and security, as well as people from other underrepresented groups. This
can be on social media, in articles or posts, for speaking engagements
including panels, or within your own company. Find promising people to mentor
or sponsor within the community or within your company. Explore the benefits of
reverse-mentorship.
Speak
out against unhelpful behavior
It’s a well-researched phenomenon that women frequently get interrupted when speaking. This is
something everyone can and should be mindful of. If you observe this happening
in a group environment, you can redirect the conversation back to the original
speaker. For example, you could stop an interruption by saying, “Excuse me, I
didn’t get to hear everything she had to say.” Likewise, if a woman makes a
suggestion in a meeting that’s shot down or ignored, you can repeat the idea
and credit its source. Certain segments of security have historically had an
adversarial culture that can swerve into outright hostility. While it can be
particularly scary to confront people when this happens, if we ever hope to
bridge the ever-expanding talent gap, we need to stand up to people
who are being rude or aggressive to others.
Speak
up for pay transparency
While it can be difficult in cultures where
it’s considered taboo to talk about how much compensation you receive, it can
be a very simple and powerful way to help women
achieve parity. Having clear metrics for pay ranges can potentially help improve productivity, as well as employee
retention and recruitment. For those seeking to hire new employees, establish a
pay range for the position before you start recruiting talent. You can either
include this information in your job listing, or notify all qualified applicants
early in the process.
Advocate
for consistent and measurable promotion criteria
Part of the benefit of having established
metrics for pay levels is that employees know what they need to do to work
towards higher levels of pay. People can document and share their own efforts
to meet measurable criteria, rather than relying on someone higher in the
company hierarchy noticing their actions and deeming them worthy. This can be
helpful for a wide variety of people who might otherwise be passed over promotions,
including women.
Model a
healthy work/life balance
Women are more likely to have informal caregiving responsibilities outside of work,
including caring for children, spouses, friends, or aging parents. Even if
you’re not in a position to help out in your own family with caregiving needs,
you can help others by modeling a healthy work/life balance when you’re on the
job. This can include maintaining good self-care outside of work by regularly
taking available vacation time, and only responding to email (that isn’t
truly urgent) during your regular work hours. By establishing a culture
where it’s “okay” to take personal time, you can make it easier for those who
have significant responsibilities outside of work to take the time they
need.
There are many effective ways to help balance
representation that are not limited to “Diversity and Inclusion” initiatives.
Every one of us can take small but meaningful steps to make tech and security a
more welcoming place for a wide variety of people. And on March 8, you can join the
celebration happening on social networks by checking out #BetterForBalance.